In Sickness and In Health
by sgathresholdxfiles
Summary: This story takes place after the episode Allenville. Molly has come down with a serious case of the flu. Cavennaugh is given the duty of taking care of her until she can return back to work. Feelings are brought to the surface. Will they brush them aside or will they finally admit that they care for each other more than colleagues? Molly x Cavennaugh.
1. Chapter 1

In Sickness and in Health

Her cough echoed throughout the hallways as she walked toward the meeting room. She had a fair amount of paperwork to do today so she had planned to go to the morning meeting and then spend the majority of the day in her office.

The doors opened and she met the eyes of her team. All except Ramsay were there sitting at the table.

"Morning Caffrey" J.T said.

"Morning J.T…guys" She nodded at the others. They all greeted her as she sat down. Ramsay came through the doors not too long after her. She was still coughing, her throat burning as she sipped on her tea.

"You don't look so hot Caffrey!" Ramsay said, noticing her pale, clammy looking skin as he sat down beside her.

She turned and gave him a death stare, as did the others.

"What!?" He exclaimed, raising his hands. He saw J.T glaring at him. "Sorry" He said sheepishly.

She cleared her throat. "It's fine. I'll be fine, it's just a cold. Let's get to work gentlemen"

The meeting went for close to 30 minutes as they briefed on their recent discoveries. Cavennaugh was hardly paying attention as he kept a close eye on Molly. She didn't look well at all and he could see that she was struggling throughout the meeting. They all dissipated from the room, leaving Molly and J.T. He grabbed her arm gently as she was about to leave.

"We'll be fine today. You go and get some rest. I'll let you know if anything urgent comes up"

"Thanks…I was just going to catch up on some paperwork anyway so I'll be fine." She smiled weakly at him, trying to reassure him that she was fine, despite feeling like absolute shit.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything." She nodded and made her way out of the room and slowly towards the elevator. She had a fair amount of paperwork to do but that could wait. 'I'll just take a nap for an hour' she thought to herself, making her way up to her apartment.

Once there, she took some ibuprofen, changed into something more comfortable and hopped into bed. It had been a while since she had felt this sick. Her eyes closed and she was out to the world.

Later that afternoon when Cavennaugh had finished his work, he thought he would check on Molly. To his surprise she wasn't in her office. The only other place she could be was her apartment. He text her asking if she was feeling any better. No reply. He waited 20 minutes before attempting to call her. No answer. He began to feel anxious as he decided to just go and check on her. His apartment was on the same floor anyway.

Once he got to her door, he knocked. Waiting for a few minutes, he knocked again. Still nothing. He was beginning to get impatient.

"Molly?" He spoke loudly, hoping she would hear him.

"Molly it's Cavennaugh. I'm coming in." He went to pick the lock but noticed that the door was unlocked. 'Weird, Molly wouldn't leave the door unlocked' he thought to himself. Something was wrong.

He looked around, then heard her cough from the bedroom. It sounded awful and no doubt painful for her. Making his way to her bedroom, he opened the door slowly. Once he saw her, he rushed over to her side. She was laying on her side, coughing and spluttering. She had tears in her eyes as she noticed him there. He helped her sit up, guiding her with his arm around her waist to a sitting position on the side of the bed. He didn't let go.

"Hey" She managed as he grabbed a glass of water off her bedside table and handed it to her. She took a sip, struggling to swallow it down as it felt like swallowing razor blades.

"Hey yourself. I'm gonna call Fenway okay? You've gotten so much worse since this morning, and you feel like you're burning up" He said as he brought his hand up to her forehead.

"Mmmk" She agreed, leaning into his shoulder for support. Her whole body felt weak.

Cavennaugh reached for his phone and call Fenway.

"Hey doc, we need you up here in Molly's apartment. She's gotten a lot worse since this morning"

"I'll be there in 5" He simply said, grabbing his medical bag.

Cavennaugh reached behind him to grab another pillow, putting it on top of the other and helping Molly to slide back into bed.

"You should sit more upright okay, you might have fluid on your lungs" He gently guided her backwards until she was resting her back against the pillows.

She managed a smile for him. He was so gently and caring, she really wasn't used to having someone around that cared for her as much as he did. The concern on his face remained as he impatiently waited for Fenway to arrive.

Fenway walked through the door minutes later, walking straight into the bedroom where they were.

He checked her over, taking a blood test and throat swab as well.

He finished up gathering what he needed from her.

"I'm not leaving her alone like this" Cavennaugh stated, looking over at her while she dozed in and out of consciousness.

"That's fine.' Fenway could sense the deep concern Cavennaugh had for her. 'I'm ordering her to 4 days bed rest. Judging by her symptoms, I'd say it's highly likely that she has the flu. I'll run the tests back at the lab and I should have the results by the afternoon. I want you to stay with her, make sure she takes her meds and drinks enough water" Fenway ordered, listening to her chest once more with his stethoscope. The crackly noise he heard confirmed that there was indeed fluid on her lungs and if she wasn't careful it could turn into pneumonia.

Cavennaugh listened carefully to the doctor. He hadn't planned on leaving Molly alone anyway but was happy to hear Fenway agreeing that she shouldn't be alone. At least this way he could make sure she got better, not worse.

"Is it contagious?" Cavennaugh asked the doctor.

"Well, like all cold and flu's there's a risk that you could contract the virus too however you have had your flu injection right?" Cavennaugh nodded. "Well that's something. Just make sure you don't get too close to her and here, use this hand sanitizer" He handed Cavennaugh the small bottle.

Her coughing sounded awful as she tried to expel the fluid on her lungs. Cavennaugh handed her a tissue and her glass of water.

"Right. Well you seem to be in good hands here. I'm going back to my lab but I'll come by to check up on you around 8pm with the results" Fenway gathered his things and Cavennaugh walked with him to the door.

"If she gets worse, call me straight away. She's got a fair amount of fluid on her lungs and I'm worried it could turn into pneumonia. I've given her ibuprofen so that should help with the fever. Before you ask, Baylock knows already so don't worry. You're both covered."

Cavennaugh nodded appreciatively shutting the door behind the doctor and making his way back to the bedroom. He went into the bathroom and grabbed a small face towel, dousing it in cold water. He came back and sat by her, gently dabbing her forehead where the tiny beads of sweat lay.

"Thank you" She mumbled, attempting a small smile.

He smiled. Even when she was as sick as anything, she still looked beautiful. His feelings for her were real and deeper than he had felt for anyone before. Maybe it was because of the situation they were in. Who knew.

Satisfied that she was able to rest comfortably for now, he made his way to the living room where he sat on her couch with his laptop.

'May as well make use of the time' He thought to himself.

He was able to get through his reports for the past few days and some preparation work for a new facility they were building to hold the infectees. As the number of infectees grew, the workload increased significantly. The red team had all moved into their apartments in the building not long after the events of Allenville.

He actually wasn't surprised Molly was sick as she had been pushing herself and he knew she had also been having trouble sleeping due to the nightmares. He had also experienced sleepless nights more frequently.

Fenway came by at 8 with the results. She had influenza. He gave Cavennaugh a bunch of medications for her to take including some vitamins.

"Are you going to stay here tonight?" Fenway asked.

Cavennaugh looked up at him. "Uh…I guess. I can just sleep here on the couch" He said awkwardly.

"Good." Fenway started to leave but then turned back. "She's lucky to have you"

Cavennaugh stood there, staring at the door as Fenway left. He was surprised he actually agreed that he should stay there with her. It did make sense though, if she did get worse, no one would know. At least this way he could be there in an instant if she needed him.

He decided to try and sneak in a few hours sleep for himself whilst she was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He awoke to coughing and sneezing as he turned over to check his phone. 2am. 'Well at least we've both had some rest' he thought to himself pushing off the couch and heading to the bedroom.

"Hey…how are you feeling?" He asked her softly, sitting by her in her bed.

She pushed herself up slightly into a sitting position.

"Still pretty crap…*cough* but better than earlier. What time is it?" She gave him a weak smile.

"Just after 2am."

He brushed the hair from her face. She still felt hot as he placed the back of his hand on her cheeks and forehead.

"You still feel warm. Do you think you can try and have a cool shower?" He asked.

She cringed at the thought, not wanting to leave the bed. Her temperature was still high though and she was starting to feel uncomfortable in her damp pyjamas.

"Can you *cough* help me?" She asked innocently looking at him to gauge his reaction, knowing that her legs could give way at any time.

"Of course," He didn't hesitate. This wasn't about anything besides helping her feel better.

Grabbing the covers, he slowly pulled them back as she started to move her legs to the edge of the bed. He put his hand on her back and she grabbed onto his arm for support. She was still light headed but having him there gave her the support she needed to make her way into the bathroom.

She looked up at him once they were in the bathroom feeling slightly awkward about what would happen next. She was honestly too tired and weak to care if he saw her naked right now but still tried to maintain some professional boundaries.

"I'll just turn the shower on okay?" She nodded grabbing onto the towel rack as he made sure the water temperature was right.

He turned back towards her when it was right.

"Uh, I'll wait outside?" He asked, not sure what to do next.

"No. Stay…just…would you mind turning around?" She blushed.

He nodded, sitting on the edge of the bathtub as she slowly undressed.

She managed to get herself into the shower. God the water felt good on her skin after being covered in sweat. She hadn't had the flu in a long time and she did not miss the feeling one bit.

She quickly washed her body, not bothering with her hair this time as she broke out in a coughing fit.

"Molly? You okay?" Cavennaugh stood, still not turning around but ready to if she were in trouble or needed help.

When her coughing subsided, she spoke "Yeah. Thanks. Could you pass me the towel?"

He grabbed the towel off the rack and walked backwards towards the shower door with the towel in his hand. She grabbed it from him, wrapping it around her slender form.

He heard her small footsteps coming towards him. "Is it safe to turn around?" He asked. Instead of speaking, she reached out and touched his arm lightly, giving him the okay to face her again.

She looked so frail in this state, he hated seeing her like this. She looked like she was going to cry as she stepped forward towards him. Surprising him, she walked into his arms and rested her head against his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around her once his shock subsided and squeezed her gently. She felt safe in his strong arms.

"You're good at this…taking care of me and all" She mumbled against his chest.

He laughed softly. "Unfortunately, I've had a lot of practice." He rubbed her back gently. She looked up at him curiously. What did he mean by that? Maybe it had something to do with the family member who had passed away months ago when he had missed the funeral.

"Come on, let's get you dry and back into bed before Fenway kicks my ass". Now it was her turn to laugh.

She directed him on where to grab her pyjamas and underwear. He handed it to her before turning around to face the other way, giving her privacy to dry herself and get dressed. By the time she was done, she was out of breath feeling very lightheaded.

"Okay, I'm done" She told him, sliding her legs under the covers.

He turned back around to face her and finished tucking her in, when she reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing lightly.

"What did you mean earlier when you said you'd had a lot of practice?"

He sighed, sadness sweeping his features.

"My mom…she was sick for a long time. Jimmy and I took turns taking care of her when we were younger and still at home"

"I'm sorry" She said, her own sadness appearing on her face. _That must have been the family member who's funeral he attended when they were on the Park case_ she thought to herself.

"It's okay. She's resting peacefully now. No more pain" He smiled gently.

He reached over for her pills and handed them to her with a glass of water. She swallowed them down in one gulp, handing the glass back to him.

She yawned and her eyes became heavy as she sunk further back into the bed and her eyes began to close.

"Thank you" She whispered to him as he got up off the bed. He couldn't resist how gorgeous she looked right now and bent over to lightly kiss her forehead. She was still running a fever however he could tell she was on the mend. She sighed peacefully as her breathing slowed and she fell into a deep slumber.

He made his way back to the living room and lay down on the couch. It was a lot more comfortable than he had expected. Molly had good taste in furniture as he looked around her apartment appreciatively. Turning on the television he turned on his side until he passed out himself.


End file.
